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Finally Launching this Project!!!

2020-11-27 · announcement · Hank · 3:47 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Projects (also: Economics) · mode: Announcements · tags: self promotion, fundraising ask

Hank argues that e-commerce companies sell near-identical products on thin stories while insisting on profit, cites Paul Newman's Newman's Own as a company giving all profit to charity, and launches with John the Awesome Socks Club: a 2021 monthly sock subscription by independent artists whose entire profit goes to charity, now maternal and child health in Sierra Leone.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — E-commerce sells on story; why must a company make money? Newman's Own

  • ★★ Hank says many e-commerce companies with functionally similar products differentiate themselves by their story, often a thin facade over near-identical products. — 00:00:21
  • ★★★ Hank questions the one thing companies won't compromise on, making money: a company selling needed, easy-to-make goods could give all the money away. — 00:00:50 · capitalism
  • ★★ Hank says the idea isn't new: in the 80s Paul Newman, wanting to make salad dressing but not money, created Newman's Own with friends. — 00:01:00

00:01:19 — Launch of the Awesome Socks Club: monthly artist socks, all profit to charity, sign-up

  • ★★ Hank says Newman's Own gives all its profit to charity, has existed for about 40 years and has given away half a billion dollars. — 00:01:19
  • ★★ Hank says giving all profit away makes a company harder to run in some ways and easier in others; if everything is about story, the story should actually be good. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ Hank announces that he and John are launching the Awesome Socks Club (on Monday, 23 November 2020), a subscription sending a different pair of socks each month of 2021, each designed by a different independent artist. — 00:01:40 · Awesome Socks Club, John Green
  • ★★★ Hank says shipping is free everywhere with an address and 100% of the profit goes to charity, currently to decrease maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone. — 00:02:05 · Awesome Socks Club, maternal death, child mortality, Sierra Leone · also in: Elon Was Right
  • ★★ Hank hopes that as the club grows it can do more good in more places and ways, perhaps the start of something bigger. (hedged) — 00:02:10 · Awesome Socks Club
  • ★★ Hank says the club, launched on Monday, is already doing very well, with thousands of people signed up. — 00:02:17 · Awesome Socks Club
  • ★ Hank says he did brand deals with TikTokers for the club, and ads may run on podcasts such as 99% Invisible and the Try Guys' podcast. — 00:02:21 · TikTok
  • ★★★ Hank asks viewers to sign up at awesomesocks.club/vlogbrothers for themselves, as a gift to someone else, or to ask someone to give it to them. — 00:02:36 · Awesome Socks Club

00:02:47 — Sign-up deadline, charity calendar, Christmas story video, AART ebook sale, shipping advice, sign-off

  • ★★ Hank says sign-up closes on December 11 so they know how many socks to manufacture and nothing is wasted. — 00:02:49 · Awesome Socks Club
  • ★★ Hank says a charity calendar is coming fairly soon as part of Nerdfighteria's commerce this season, though not ready yet. — 00:02:58 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Hank says he will make a video about a delightfully creepy Christmas story he found online, collaborating with its artist, who will sell it. — 00:03:08 · Christmas
  • ★★ Hank says his publisher has put An Absolutely Remarkable Thing on sale as an ebook for $3, so now is the time to try it. — 00:03:22 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ As someone who runs an e-commerce company, Hank advises ordering Christmas purchases now because the country's shipping infrastructure is already at its limit. — 00:03:30 · Christmas

In the description and comments

  • ★ The description says the project has been in the works for well over a year and thanks the people at DFTBA, sock consultants and the designers. — video description · DFTBA Records
  • ★★ In a comment, Hank says he thinks products other than socks could be served by a system like this. — creator comment · Awesome Socks Club
  • ★ In a comment, Hank says socks are usually a blend because 100% cotton socks are hard to make stretchy, while 100% synthetic socks are bad. — creator comment

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Awesome Socks Club

Also: People: Paul Newman

Works: 99% Invisible · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing · TryPod

Organizations: Newman's Own · TikTok

Terms: doobly-doo

Concepts: brand · capitalism · Charity (practice) · child mortality · maternal death · sponsorship

Places: Sierra Leone

Events: Black Friday · Christmas

Only in the description or credits: DFTBA Records

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